The majority of the world's governments believe that climate change poses a threat to human society and to the natural world.

Successive scientific reports, notably those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have come to ever firmer conclusions about humankind's influence on the modern-day climate, and about the impacts of rising temperatures.

Two years ago, at the UN climate talks held in Bali, governments agreed to start work on a new global agreement.

The Copenhagen talks marked the end of that two-year period.

Governments hoped to leave the Danish capital having completed the new deal.

The talks were technically known as the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - often abbreviated to COP15.

Richer developing countries were asked to constrain their emissions.

If they did make any pledges, they are likely to restrain the growth of emissions rather than making actual cuts.

Industrialised nations will set targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate climate change.

The key date for these commitments is 2020, although some countries are looking beyond that, to 2050.

Many countries are thinking about how to prepare for the impacts of climate change - what sorts of adaptation will be necessary.

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Four broad outcomes were possible from the Copenhagen summit:

· 1. A comprehensive deal with all loose ends tied up.

· 2. A deal agreeing the "big picture", but with lots of details remaining to be thrashed out over the coming months or years.

3. An adjournment, probably until midway through 2010.

· 4. A breakdown.

i.e.- If number one fails, number four applies!

Sadly, number one failed!

Copenhagen was one of the most important meetings in human history, but the politiciansand rulers missed the boat. They did this out of vanity, greed, and naive self interest.

The cuts asked at the COP 15 were not enough to HALT the overall global rise in emissions. Let alone bring them down. And they did not even agreed that at this summit! They only agreed to disagree!